Thursday, November 29, 2018 19 LIFE CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Romance comedy Crazy Rich Asians is a watershed hit that could change the way Asian faces are perceived in Hollywood. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Gambling with an Asian plot A Hollywood comedy, which has broken barriers, is set for its mainland debut, Xu Fan reports. or most critics in the West, the romance come­ dy Crazy Rich Asians is a watershed hit that could Fchange the way Asian faces are It doesn’t have to be perceived in Hollywood. The movie — a modern Cinder­ about being Asian, ella story — is the first major Hol­ Chinese or Ameri­ lywood studio film with an all­ Asian cast in 25 years since The can. It is just about Joy Luck Club in 1993, and is set to open across the Chinese main­ all the different pie­ land theaters. The $30 million movie, which ces that make up has pulled in $174 million in North America in the past two your unique identity.” months, is now the highest­gross­ ing romance comedy in the Jon M. Chu, world’s largest movie market in a director of Crazy Rich Asians decade. Aside from its commercial suc­ But will the Chinese mainland cess, Crazy Rich Asians — which audience buy this idea? opens in China on Friday — has As of Tuesday, Crazy Rich also received mainly positive Asians had seen its bookings total reviews on review sites, exempli­ 847,000 yuan ($121.900), accord­ fied by 92 percent critic reviews ing to live box­office tracker Mao­ reckoning it “fresh” on Rotten yan. Tomatoes and 7.2 points out of 10 And using an index to reflect an on IMDb. upcoming film’s popularity, the Both websites are barometers presale threshold can reach 10 of popularity used as significant From left: The film’s producer John Penotti, actresses Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng and Fiona Xie and director Jon M. Chu take selfies with audiences million yuan or more, says the reference points by Chinese film during the Beijing promotional event. Beijing­based analyst Jiang Yong. fans. On douban.com, China’s most Besides, the story has a very popular review site, those who Chinese flavor with the super­rich from her boyfriend Nick Young to atively unknown to Chinese mov­ movie is not enough. We are not top­grossing imported films in have already watched the film in the film having Chinese heri­ accompany him to Singapore to iegoers. satisfied with that. We want our China in 2016, adds: “It’s just have scored it 6.3 points out of 10, tage. attend his best friend’s wedding Constance Wu, best known for stories to be told as well.” about understanding that in with most criticizing the plot, the The luxury houses featured in ceremony. the ABC comedy series Fresh Off Yeoh is one of the most recog­ order to love someone, you have cliched ending and its lack of focus the film, with exquisite carvings But the trip soon turns into a the Boat, plays Chu while British nizable Asian faces in Hollywood to love yourself first and all the on Asian cultural complexity. on wooden doors represent a tra­ “battle”, as Nick is actually the Malaysian actor Henry Golding with hits like Crouching Tiger, things that you are.” “The film makes you constantly ditional architecture aesthetic most fancied heir of one of Singa­ plays Nick. Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Meanwhile, despite the lavish laugh. The backdrop music tracks rooted in ancient China. pore’s wealthiest families. For Yeoh, who recently toured Geisha. lifestyle in the film, the director are all former popular Chinese­ The movie also features a string To keep him, the young woman Beijing to promote the film with But for Jon M. Chu, the direct­ sees things differently. language songs ... However, the of typical Chinese activities — from a Chinese immigrant family director Jon M. Chu and producer or, the film is more than convey­ “Ultimately, this film is not story is actually not about Asians, from making dumplings to play­ has to face off with Nick’s control­ John Penotti, the film is a mile­ ing a message. about being wealthy. In fact, that it’s about riches,” says netizen ing mahjong. ling mother Eleanor and a bunch stone as she says that Asian actors “It doesn’t have to be about is the least interesting part of the Yangcong Xixi, whose words are In the film adapted from Singa­ of his super­rich acquaintances have been fighting inequality in being Asian, Chinese or Ameri­ book to me. marked useful by more than 1,140 porean American writer Kevin who consider her a gold­digger. Hollywood for decades. can. It is just about all the differ­ “The story that we wanted to netizens to top the film’s short Kwan’s 2013 best­selling novel of Except for Michelle Yeoh Choo She sees the success of Crazy ent pieces that make up your tell from the very beginning is reviews on Douban. the same title, Rachel Chu, an eco­ Kheng, who plays Eleanor, the Rich Asians as opening the door a unique identity,” he says. about an outsider coming in and nomics professor from New York rest of the cast — including the bit wider, adding: “To have a The director, whose last hit was then finding her own self­worth,” Contact the writer at University, accepts an invitation two lead actors — are all compar­ token Asian face in a (Hollywood) Now You See Me 2, one of the 10 he explains. [email protected] Chinese chopsticks ad resurfaces amid D&G fallout By XU JUNQIAN in Shanghai the deceased during Spring theme assigned by CCTV, ges we had during the produc­ co­founder, Stefano Gabbana, [email protected] Festival in eight cities across which commissioned the tion was with the characters, allegedly made disparaging China and in San Francisco’s project. as 90 percent of them are not remarks about the country Chopsticks was a five­min­ famous Chinatown. “All we got is a rough guide­ professional actors, but real and people while supposedly ute, noncommercial advertise­ “I think anyone can use any line: to demonstrate the val­ people playing themselves. defending the advert on Insta­ ment produced by a Shanghai­ element for creative purpos­ ues of Chinese families and However as a result, what we gram, further escalating ten­ based creative agency and es,” says Sun Tao, creative family reunion without being have on screen is natural, vital sion between the brand and its aired on China Central Televi­ director of the CCTV ad, refer­ over­preachy,” says Sun to Chi­ and real,” says Sun. Chinese customers. sion (CCTV) during Spring ring to the ad’s somewhat na Daily in Shanghai. With a budget of 2 million The fallout saw the brand’s Festival in 2014. unexpected return to popular­ Then, as the team gathered yuan ($288,000), and pro­ offerings pulled from the listings Over the past week, the ad, ity amid the recent D&G scan­ over drinks, the idea of using duced over the course of three of a number of Chinese e­com­ which shows chopsticks as sym­ dal, four years after its debut. chopsticks as a vehicle to months, the five­minute ad merce platforms, including bols of love within modern Chi­ “It’s more a matter of how the express feelings and carry was edited from around 500 Tmall and JD, while a galaxy of nese families, has resurfaced element has been employed memories struck, Sun recalls. hours of footage. A­list Chinese stars, including Li online and gone viral after fash­ and whether the feelings of “The weird thing is that the “Basically, we have tried to Bingbing and Chen Kun, who ion house Dolce & Gabbana the target audience have been first memory of family that use the chopsticks as a needle were expected to attend the posted a video featuring an taken into consideration.” popped into my mind after to stitch together all the fond Shanghai show announced their Asian­looking model struggling The audience was at the front some beer, is a little violent,” memories of love and family,” absence from the event. to eat Italian food with chop­ of the production team’s mind says Sun. says Sun. As a result, the show, titled sticks — infuriating one of the when they set out to create the He explains at a family gath­ Comments under the ad on The Great Show, and which brand’s largest markets. ad for CCTV, says Sun, a veteran ering during childhood, when Sina Weibo have tagged it as promised the exhibition of Since being shared by the advertiser who worked for the he was the first at the table to “healing” and “an accurate hundreds of outfits and the official Sina Weibo account of American advertising agency, reach out to grab some food interpretation of Chinese cul­ attendance of 1,500 guests, CCTV news on Nov 21, the vid­ McCann, in Shanghai for a dec­ with his chopsticks, he got a ture”. was canceled hours before it eo has been viewed more than ade, before becoming the slap on the hand from his The D&G video, which was was scheduled. 53 million times, and reposted co­founder of a new studio, mother — a rebuke for supposed to promote the In a video shared on the for more than 2.29 million Match. attempting to take food before brand’s big fashion show in brand’s official Sina Weibo times in less than a week.